A Question of Honor
by By Victoria
Summary: Liaison Yelena returns to Ixia on a routine, official visit. But something seems very off about her. It also doesn't help that increasingly serious attempts have been made on the Commander's life, that even those closest to him are beginning to show questionable loyalty, and that uniforms continue to make it all too easy to sneak in and out of the castle. I own nothing.
1. Prologue

Yelena inserted the key and opened the door carefully. She entered the silent suite and shut the door quietly behind her. It appeared empty save for the late afternoon sunlight that poured in through the striped windows.

"Valek?" Yelena took a breath before stepping in and trying again in a louder voice, "Are you here?"

Satisfied that she was alone, she set her pack down and took several swift steps into and around the endless clutter. Yelena sat in his chair and swiveled to the writing desk. For the next few moments, she methodically shuffled through the papers and files, occasionally throwing them down in sheer frustration.

Turning away from the desk, she began opening the unlocked drawers, running a hand on each underside in her search. Just as she reached into her hair for the picks, the lock on the front door clicked open.

Yelena stumbled for a moment in her haste away from the desk. Her thigh collided painfully with the corner of the wood and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

Valek strode in, his face lit with delight. "Yelena! You're several days late. And because it's _you_, I was beginning to worry, love."

She stepped out of the shadows and walked towards him, unsmiling. "I'm alright."

He closed the gap between them and affectionately wrapped his arms around her. "You know you're more than that."

Their lips met but she was as stiff and cold as one of his black statues. Valek immediately blamed a trick of light for the slight narrowing of her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, love?"

Yelena waved his arms off and backed away as if his touch annoyed her. "I'm tired. It was a long trip."

"Let's talk about it."

The frost in her voice stilled his heart. "I have somewhere to be." She walked out of the suite before he could reply.

* * *

Several hours later, Yelena reentered the suite but stopped abruptly.

Valek sat at the writing desk, straightening the papers. "This is about the new safe houses I implanted, isn't it?"

She crossed her arms. "What is?"

"We were fighting over them when you left." The chair scarped against the floor as he stood and walked towards her. He never hid his face with her, even when he was this vulnerable; when it was filled with bewilderment and sheer anxiety. "It doesn't take a decade long relationship for me to see you're still upset, love. Talk to me. Please."

"I'm not upset." But her hardened green eyes and stiff shoulders granted no reassurance. "I told you. It was a long trip and I'm tired."

"We've been apart for seasons. You don't normally act this way when we can finally be together."

"Normally? How am I supposed to normally act, then?"

"You would act the way you would if you missed me at all these past few months. Or at the very least, you would look happy to see me. But you seem uncomfortable and distant."

"I did miss you."

Yelena capitalized on his distraction with her words and began climbing up the stairs.

Valek followed her into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. "Yelena…"

"Don't." She said abruptly when she sensed him reaching for her. "Don't touch me."

She resumed untying her hair and finished undressing. Without another word, she climbed into bed and rolled onto her side toward the window. She pulled the covers up to her chin and shut her eyes.

Valek turned toward her in the bed. He forced himself to be content with merely seeing her, in spite of his arms aching to hold her. But when he closed his eyes, they flashed open again in one frantic heartbeat.

There was no scent of lavender.

**Yup, this is a new story. For people still following Sieges Weathered, yes I am still writing that. I needed a break from the heavy stuff and started scribbling this one. xD This isn't really a chapter but more of a preview trailer sorta. Let me know if this is even the slightest bit interesting so I'd continue it. :) And if you are interested, tell me what you think happened in that review I know you're totally going to write. **


	2. Yes We Are Still at War

Yelena stopped in the middle of a kata as her friends approached her. She smiled widely at them and waved. They approached her through the chill and dew, all the while chafing their icy hands beneath the gloves.

"You're up…early." Janco regarded her with a raised eyebrow.

"This isn't the usual time I'm up?"

"Not when it's this cold." Ari smirked.

Yelena's smile fell. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Janco exchanged glances with Ari. "Well, seven months is a long time. We figured Valek would have kept you preoccupied at this time…and vice versa."

She blinked and waited. The wind howled, billowing through her cloak.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Yelena, I didn't mean it that way. It's just, well, during the whole reunion phase…you two usually make yourselves pretty scarce for a while."

"What are you talking about?"

Janco gestured helplessly as his face turned red but Ari cut in with his matter of fact voice, "At a time like this, you two are usually more interested in the kind of exercise you do indoors and upstairs. The one that involves a warm fire and furniture."

"Maybe it's time to change things up."

Janco recovered and crossed his arms. "Well sure…but…Holy snow cats, Yelena… Don't tell me it's true that you and Valek are still fighting!" He leaned forward with incredulity.

"I'm starting to think the concept of _private_ business never existed to begin with." She teased.

"It does when you're talking about my intelligence corps." Valek's amused voice came from behind them.

Ari and Janco flinched uncomfortably. They hadn't seen or heard him coming.

"Gossip on the other hand, love, never fails to provide you with a wealth of useless information."

Yelena's smile faded away. She crossed her arms and surveyed him with narrowed eyes. When they met with his, she averted her scrutiny and turned her shoulder away. "Did you need anything?"

Valek's face betrayed no emotion but his blue eyes remained fixed on her. "I wanted to see you. You know I've missed you."

"I see." Her arms remained crossed so he couldn't take her hand.

But he easily settled for a soft kiss on her temple. "I'm not letting you out of my sight tonight, love."

All color left her face as her body shifted into a fighting stance. "_Excuse me_? You want to try that again?"

A mixture of shock and something suspiciously like remorse strained his reply. "You know that's never meant for you to take literally. And about what happened-"

She cut him off. "I don't want to talk about it. I have to prepare for my meeting with the Commander."

At the same time, Yelena caught their friends staring and seemed suddenly self-conscious, for she made an effort to smile at him. Unfortunately, the tight line her lips made seemed to imply that his very presence offended her at this point. "I'll see you later tonight." She picked up her bow and walked toward the back of the castle without so much as a backwards glance.

Valek watched as she disappeared from view and, distracted, nodded briefly to the power twins before walking away in the opposite direction.

Janco released a breath he didn't know he held. "I'll take that as a 'yes we are still at war please step to the back if you're not dying to be among the first wave of casualties.' It's easy to forget that even they have lovers' quarrels."

But Ari's gaze was still fixed on the direction she left in. "You call that a lovers' quarrel? Did you see the way she looked at him?"

Janco scratched beneath where his left ear used to be. He tried to shrug. "Couples hate each other sometimes, don't they?"

"The word you're looking for is 'annoy.' Couples never really hate each other. If they do then it's probably abuse."

"Or the end. Come to think of it, she did look like she wanted to kill him."

Ari nodded. "You saw it too. Raw hatred."

"What do you think they were fighting about? It must have been big because Yelena did seem pretty upset when she left seven months ago. And if she's still this angry..."

"Valek's not angry though. He seems contrite if anything. It could be about those safe houses."

Janco made a shooing motion with his hand. "They fight over those all the time."

His partner thought for a moment. "Those safe houses aren't the only ways that Valek liked to keep tabs on our neighbor. You think she might have uncovered another operation or network he wanted to keep hidden? Something that possibly interfered with her liaison duties?"

"Mmm." Janco concurred as he took a sip of water. "That would explain quite a few things. But it wouldn't add up. I mean, you would think she'd have a good idea as to the nature of his work by now."

"True." Suddenly the stocky man gasped. "You don't think someone's having an affair?"

"Now you're just being silly." Janco smacked his own head when he really wanted to smack Ari's. "Where's your imagination? Why does everyone always default to infidelity at some point in their tales?"

"It's perfectly plausible." Ari replied defensively. "Besides, I didn't hear you coming up with any ideas."

Janco shook his head. "Whatever it is, they better fix it and get back together fast. Because knowing them, someone's bound to get in trouble at some point in the not so distant future."

* * *

The Jewel Inn was reputed for its intricate interior design being based on the luxurious tastes of the late Queen Jewel Ixia. The foyer was adorned with delicate lilacs and, on rare occasions, the rare blooms of White Wintercress harvested from the Northern Ice Sheet. Climbing roses meshed with delicate lace curtains beckoned invitingly in the gentle breeze. Soft carpets and a lightly perfumed air transformed those old and privileged enough to remember back to her majesty's court.

The current regime frowned upon the extravagance. However, one particular Security Chief saw ample opportunity to give aristocratic, nostalgia filled rats a perfect gathering spot for easy arrest.

Perhaps this was why that with time, Jewel Inn became patronized more for the unintended, debasing reason it fostered and sought to starve at the same time. A peculiar assortment of discreet back doors and hidden exits had rendered it the perfect place for illicit affairs between both new and long-time paramours. Whether this feature was also inspired by the late queen is a topic of much debate.

Several hours past midnight, when only a few select lanterns lit the halls, a purple door opened on the third floor. The man chuckled roguishly and shook his head in mock reproach at his late night visitor. "Oh no. You're not supposed to be here."

A smaller gloved hand covered the one leaned against the threshold. The movement lowered the sleeve to reveal a black snake bracelet with sapphire eyes.

"Are you going to let me in or not?"

The man laughed again and cocked his head inwards.

As the door closed, a drunk soldier staggered into the hallway after apparently being kicked out of the room. His head lolled to the side as he tried to retrace his steps back to the foyer. He hummed a tune off-key as his boots grounded and kicked up some of the lilacs that followed him out.

The sharp click of the lock sobered him like a dog to a whistle. He stood straight and still. Sharp eyes matched his movements as he retrieved a notebook from his disheveled uniform.

The man missing the bottom half of his left ear smirked as he turned to the purple door. "Busted!"

**Keep those theories coming! **

**Also because I'm debating I thought I'd let the reviewers weigh in as to what the next chapter should be.**

**-What exactly happened seven months ago.  
**

**-What's happening at this very moment behind that purple door. **

**-What a certain someone missing the bottom half of his left ear meant by "busted" and what he's planning to do with that kind of information. **

**Is this a cheap shot at getting more reviews? Maybeeee. **

**As always, much love to "Reader" and "unknown." You two always make my day with your complements and presence! *throws cupcakes your way***


	3. Accidents Happen

~Seven Months Earlier~

"What do you mean he's been hurt?!" Yelena shot up from her seat. "Where's he hurt?! Is it serious?! How did this happen?!"

Janco continued in as calm a voice as he could manage. "One of the rookies in his corps wasn't careful enough. The Councilor didn't know what was happening. So, naturally, she got scared and called for reinforcement. But someone played dirty and used a null shield. I doubt he could even remember the last time he got stabbed in the side. In fact, I bet he even started laughing…" He drifted off in his unabated admiration.

Yelena grabbed his arm and her pale, haggard face brought him back.

"Oh right. It was a sticky situation but they all managed to escape with their lives. They sent a scout up here to really just explain why they're late."

"His immunity…Those healers in Sitia couldn't have helped him. We need to get a medic over there right-"

"Relax, Yelena." Ari said as he tried to entice her to sit back down. He eventually gave up when she began to fight him. "The scout left them near the border. They're less than a day away. If we sent a medic now, it wouldn't make that much of a difference."

"And besides," Janco piped up, "it's like I said: they just wanted to reassure, not alarm. That scout didn't seem worried at all." He turned to Ari for concurrence, which his partner readily gave with a nod. "Valek has gotten out of worse situations before. He'll be just fine."

Yelena began to pace as her heart raced. "But I can't just sit here. I'm going to ride out to see him."

"By the time you get far, they'll be back at the castle." Ari reasoned patiently. "I know you're worried. But if you want to see him as soon as possible, you should wait here."

Her breath hitched as her eyes watered.

Janco sighed and offered her a sympathetic smile. "Let's go to the training field. A couple matches with me and Ari will help take your mind off this."

Yelena nodded as the tears began to stream down her face. Janco put a comforting arm around her and lent his shoulder. Ari patted her back and, together, the friends walked out of the increasingly small and smothering room.

* * *

Medic Mommy stopped bandaging. She looked up to see the liaison walking towards her.

Hands clasped in front of her, Yelena wore her tailored liaison uniform and had styled her black hair into an immaculate and professional twist. It seemed she was trying especially hard to use an appeal to authority as leverage. "May I?"

The medic shrugged and briefly gestured the procedure. "Not too tightly." She moved to tend to another patient.

Yelena sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the stray bandages. Empathy made her side ache when she saw the wound. The bleeding had stopped with the seal but the stab was still swollen. She paused and gave the patient a wry smile when he covered her hand with his.

"Hello, love." When Valek took in the scent of lavender, some of the pain melted away.

Yelena replied with a gentle kiss. But she pulled away before he could deepen it and admonished playfully, "Now hold still."

They remained in companionable silence as Yelena set and bandaged the wound. Medic Mommy continued to make her rounds in the infirmary where it was no accident that out of the entire entourage, she tended the Security Chief first and moved downwards by experience and skill level.

Eventually, Valek ventured to ask, "How long can you stay?"

"Two weeks." Yelena answered as she finished dressing the wound.

He tried not to show his disappointment.

She leaned in and kissed him again. "It should have been a month. But…" Yelena glanced down pointedly at his injury. "At least it wasn't too serious."

Valek reached over to touch her face. "You haven't slept and you've been crying." It wasn't a question.

She swatted his hand away and blinked furiously as the frustrating tears threatened to fall again. "Of course I've been crying. I was worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Don't even start. This wouldn't have even happened if you hadn't been spying on us in the first place!" The ire returned now that the initial danger had past.

Chastised, Valek said nothing.

Yelena sighed, "I wish you would have at least told me what you were doing. I could have helped you."

"I highly doubt that." Valek pulled his shirt back on.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Someone advised Councilor Moon to enhance her security. And to make use of null shields."

"Are you saying I set you up?"

"Not intentionally."

"Intentionally? Someone had informed me of illegal espionage on the Councilor. I assumed it might have been another rival clan. I had no idea it was you."

"What would you have done if you did?"

She paused, considering her answer. With a sigh, she shook her head. "I don't know."

"Precisely."

"Why were you spying on them in the first place?"

"I have good reason to believe there is a threat on the Commander's life. That's all you need to know." Valek said in deadpan.

"What kind of threat?"

"A substantial one." He stood.

She remained sitting. "And you think the Councilor is involved? Is that why you're not telling me anything?"

"I always assume everyone can be involved, Yelena. And you don't need to know the details of this operation."

"Right." It was an old argument (one that seemed to be erupting constantly this past year and a half) she chose to opt out of. For fatigued as she was, Yelena would have taken a debate with the formidable Commander over his stringent policy on magic, in a heartbeat, over this.

* * *

And that's what she did end up doing several days later.

"People can't choose to not be magical. And that makes them vulnerable to all forms of suffering in your country. The policy does not save lives."

The Commander sipped his tea calmly. "Even in Sitia, the percentage of magicians remains small. Therefore, they are a small price to pay for peace and tranquility in my country."

"You can't put this kind of value on an innocent life. I understand your compassion and your magnanimity for your people, sir. It's very apparent in the way you ensure everyone is fed, clothed, and healthy at all times. You may want to alleviate unnecessary suffering, but I can guarantee you this ban on magic only breeds pain."

"You are focused very much on the individual, Yelena. But I care about my people as a class. And all I can think about is the possibility of another corrupt king with his equally corrupt court of privileged magicians coming to power after my death. And your Warper problem has shown that that is only too probable of a possibility."

"With all due respect, sir," Yelena took in a breath to keep her heart steady. "The King of Ixia and the Warpers were by _no means_ representative of all magicians. I'd like to use myself as a case in point to advocate for the class of people with magical abilities."

Commander Ambrose listened and appraised her with his intense amber eyes. But he remained ultimately unmoved. "Anecdotal evidence is by no means empirical. But I can counter that argument regardless. The recent political and social turmoil – with substantial death rates – that took place in Sitia have been related to magic, correct? It involved, I believe, a rogue clan called the Bloodrose."

Yelena clenched her fists under the table. She had been thrown off balance. He wasn't supposed to know this _much_ about Sitian affairs. "And they were stopped by magic."

"The entire fiasco would have never occurred in Ixia. And the reason is magic is not allowed here. I have reasons behind my policies, liaison."

"It could exist if your ban drives people underground so that they would have to not only hide, but seek refuge from those who would exploit them."

"I guarantee you that the horrors of Brazell and Mogkan will _never_ happen again." The Commander turned to his Security Chief pointedly.

"You can't guarantee that."

"And you can't guarantee that corrupt magic will not ruin all that I have built for those who were robbed blind by the Ixian King."

She sat back in her chair. Now they were going in circles.

Valek appeared apathetic as he sat beside the Commander, adding fuel to her anger. If he hadn't told him this much, there might have been a chance for her. She debated as she always did every time she tried to broach this topic. Reveal the illegal espionage and demand not only full disclosure of Ixian policy, but a broader opening of the border? It might give an upper hand – especially for those wishing to escape to asylum in Sitia - but it would foster neither trust nor respect between the two countries. But more people died and suffered as she sat and debated with the Commander over tea.

She felt herself grow old as she realized this would be a lifetime's work.

Yelena yelped as the teacup shattered and shot up from her chair. Hot tea scalded and stained her lap. And the servant was all but prostrate on the ground in apology.

She grinned dismissively and waved him off. "It's fine. Accidents happen." She turned to the Commander. "Excuse me."

He gave her leave and, rigid as he was in all parts of his life and rule, concluded the meeting to ensure he didn't stray from his itinerary. She walked out of the war room after they postponed the meeting.

At the same time, General Tesso's son, Arcane, turned to his father. He whispered something about an errand he had forgotten to run and left the room as well, turning in the exact same direction as the Liaison.

A pair of sapphire blue eyes watched the direction they both left in as old instincts kicked in. It had to be coincidence, the owner of them told himself. It was just a coincidence. He shook his head inwardly, forcing himself to remember the first time he had doubted her – and the dire consequences it nearly had.

But he was so, so often right when he trusted his instincts. And if she gave him honest reason to doubt...was it still as wrong? But what kinds of reasons did he have to begin with?

He was so preoccupied with his moral dilemma that he nearly ignored a direct verbal order from the Commander.

* * *

Yelena opened her eyes and blinked in the haze of the cold, early sunrise. Her return to the world of living brought a torrent of responsibilities and obligations that swirled in her mind.

But one thing came to the forefront.

She rolled onto her side and pressed a hand to Valek's forehead, relieved to find no excess heat. To reassure herself, she made similar informal measurements along the side of his face.

Valek caught her lingering hand before she could remove it. "Good morning to you too, love."

Yelena brushed aside a strand of hair and kissed his forehead. "Fevers usually indicate infection."

His blue eyes opened as he sat up. "It's been several days."

She sighed and kissed him briefly. "Sometimes it would look like you're getting better at first. But then people would suddenly collapse. With your immunity I can't heal you if anything happens!"

Valek smiled at her and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll be fine, love. They brought me back early enough so that there's no danger."

Yelena finally relented and returned the smile. "I know. And last night definitely showed you aren't in pain anymore."

"There's some. But you should know you're a good distraction, love."

She blushed and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Just don't die. That's all I ask."

He wrapped his arms around her and coaxed her back beneath the covers. "It won't happen. I always win. Always."

Her smile faded and she pulled away. "Yeah, no kidding."

"What's wrong?"

"I just have a lot on my mind. Like what I'm supposed to tell Councilor Moon to convince her that a tighter security won't be necessary…right after most of them were wiped out."

"She trusted your judgment about needing tighter security in the first place. Use that same faith to convince her otherwise."

"It's not that simple. She already distrusts me. It was an enormous leap of faith for her to believe me this one time. And you clearly don't make my job any easier."

The implication was meant to be light, but it stung nonetheless. "Neither do you, love." He replied evenly.

Yelena narrowed her eyes and climbed out of bed. She found her clothes and began to dress. "What did you expect? Of course I would have given her the best security I could find."

"It was exactly what I expected. But I lost several of my best, Yelena. That and months of careful planning and work." He mirrored her motions and soon they were far from the bed and the elusive peace of dawn.

She turned to face him, incredulity in her voice. "You expected this? And you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't want to upset you. And risk…"

"What?"

'Risk the possibility of you working against me."

"I…" She looked wildly about her as if hunting the room itself for the right words. Unable to find them, she blurted out her first thought, "Sometimes I just can't help but think of how incompatible our lives can be."

Yelena climbed down the stairs and stopped on the landing when she heard her lover's rapid footfalls follow.

"_Incompatible_?" Now it was his turn to be at a loss for words. "We're _incompatible? _After all we've been through? And all we're capable of accomplishing together? You're going to start saying we're incompatible?!"

"That's not what I meant. I was talking about how _sometimes_ it doesn't make sense for us to still be together. And I admit I'm partly to blame for that."

"Why is that?" Sarcasm now spiked every word. "Because a perfect liaison with Sitia's best interests at heart shouldn't be messing around with the Ixian Security Chief and _magician killer_?" He stopped when he heard a sharp intake of breath and read the shock in her eyes. "Yelena, love, I'm sorry."

She staggered a step back as hard, bitter tears grew in her green eyes. "I wasn't thinking about that at all. If I didn't care about this the day I became liaison, what makes you think I ever would? Especially after all these years?"

"What were you thinking then?" His voice softened tremendously.

"Honesty." She said simply. "I don't see how two people who can be this dishonest with each other can stay together for this long. But then I realize how often we're not together."

"Do you want me to tell you everything about the Councilor Moon operation? Is that what this is all about?"

"It's not that we have to tell each other everything." She cut herself off as she felt the tears grow heavier and heavier.

"Good to know. Because I'm quite certain you don't tell me everything either." Valek sighed with weary patience. "Let's sit down and discuss this."

"I'm not in a good place for discussing anything right now." Yelena turned and began walking towards the door.

A slight, cold panic he was unaccustomed to sliced into his heart. In a few brief, powerful strides, Valek swept in front of her and demanded without thinking, "Where are you going?"

"I have somewhere to be."

"Even the Power Twins won't be at the training field this early. Where could you possibly need to go?"

Yelena shook her head and struggled past him as she choked on a stillborn sob. "You don't need to know."

He called out to her as she turned the doorknob.

Her knuckles gripped the handle so tightly they whitened. But she turned her head.

"I'm sorry, love. I'm sorry for the ways things turned out and for the added complications to your job as Liaison."

There was a brief nod and a sharp sigh tinted with dissatisfaction as she walked out the door.

* * *

But they knew how to apparently forget quickly, as couples in their circumstances are often expected to do.

For a mere few hours later, Yelena had playfully curled her arm around Valek's and leaned against his shoulder. They stood in the back of the war room, away from the overwhelming uproar of loud laughter, passionate arguments over wool, and small talk taking place in the center. She sighed as his musky scent and the body warmed, familiar fabric of his uniform relaxed her.

Valek covered her hand with his and spoke with amusement, "Does this mean I have been forgiven?"

She pretended to think long and hard about the question. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just tired and need someone to carry me to bed." She closed her eyes.

"You did wonderful, love." Valek's lips brushed softly against her hair. "I especially loved how you handled the coffee trade. It was brilliant to suggest Tesso's surplus of corn as adequate payment."

Yelena looked up and grinned teasingly as she kissed his cheek. "I managed to keep you awake through talk about corn? You're either trying too hard or I'm better at my job than I thought."

"It's a bit of both, love."

She tilted her head at him. "I must say emotional honesty looks very good on you, sir."

"Oh? Care to tell me what else looks good on me?"

Yelena played with the lapels of his jacket and ran a hand idly down it, enticing an anticipatory shiver. "Me."

"We should get you to bed then. You clearly _need_ it."

But before she could reply, Arcane approached them. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt. It's just…father, er, I mean, General Tesso would like to speak with you in private, Yelena." He gave Valek a half smile. "That is…If it's alright for me to steal her away for a while."

Arcane turned to Yelena and spoke with a strange glint in his eye, "The General just stepped out. I promise you, it _will_ be well worth your time."

Yelena abruptly dropped his arm along with all fatigue in her face and body. "Of course!" She turned to Valek. "I'll be up soon, I promise."

He gave her an odd look but nodded briefly and let her go. The same cold panic from the morning returned.

**There's a second part to this. :) So stay tuned! Let me know what you think!**


	4. Stop Following Me

Yelena and Arcane lingered in silence through the garden. He continued to watch her with an intense eagerness, even as her gaze remained distant with her thoughts.

"Trouble in paradise?" Arcane asked offhandedly.

She didn't answer but bit her lip absentmindedly. Her head drifted off to the conversation with General Tesso and stayed there.

"Is everything alright?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Yelena gave her head a tight shake. "I'm sorry. I've been distracted."  
"It's fine." Arcane waved it off. "You seem to be having a lot on your mind lately."

Yelena sighed and sat down on a bench beneath the roses. "That's putting it mildly."

"Everything okay between you and Valek? I don't usually care much for gossip but there's been talk."

She raised an eyebrow. "What kind of talk?"

"Never mind." He looked away, embarrassed.

"It's alright. We haven't been really discreet about it." Yelena twirled her bow idly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged. "There's not much to say. We're fighting more and…" Her mouth quirked into a rueful smile. "…always over the same things. It also doesn't help that we're apart all the time. And when we are together…well let's just say I can be a trouble magnet. All this running back and forth we do makes it impossible to sit down and have an actual conversation about our issues."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It is. I miss the days when we just looked forward to being together. Now we're just worried we're going to say something that'd set the other person off."

"It seems like it's imperative you make time to talk then."

"You're probably right." But she grinned sheepishly. "And it's probably also time to stop being so immature about this. It's really no accident that I've been taking up every offer of yours to get away lately."

He pretended to look horrified. "You mean you don't actually enjoy my company?"

Yelena laughed. "No I do! It's just..." She sighed. "It's silly but sometimes we would be so happy that I get the worst urge to just leave. That way we can remember that moment together as being peaceful. Does that make sense?"

"So, not very ironically, you went the roundabout way of saying you like to run away a lot."

"In a nutshell." She said with a small sadness. "I haven't had a lot of love in my life. Being too happy can be enough to scare me sometimes."

"Love shouldn't be scary."

"It shouldn't." Yelena stood up. "But it's time to stop feeling sorry for myself. I have to be willing to work for this relationship. Thanks for listening to my bout of self-pity."

"Glad I could help." He closed the gap between them. "Though if things don't work out, you can always…well."

Yelena frowned and stared at his shadow as it began to darken hers. "Um…"

Arcane laughed. "I'm kidding, Yelena."

She didn't smile. "I'm not comfortable with that kind of humor."

"No? I could have sworn…"

"No. No." She held up her index finger and jolted several steps back. "I never made that indication."

He held his hands out. "Come on, Yelena. You're the all-powerful Soulfinder. You never knew?"

"I try not to pry unless necessary because it's unethical. Your surface emotions made you amicable until I rebuffed your advances just now."

"Can you blame me for being angry at being led on this way?"

"_Led on_?! Are you out of your mind?!"

Arcane scoffed. "Don't play innocent. You were being friendly and…"

"I was friendly to you because we were friends. _Were_ friends."

"Really now? Fighting constantly with the lover, coming to your convenient male friend to vent, not so subtle hints at how you could be happier…writing was on the wall, Yelena."

"I suggest you leave now."

She began to walk away but was accosted by her admirer.

"No wait." He held his hands up. "I knew this might be too soon. But it doesn't have to be now. What I want you to know is-"

"No. Whatever it is you're thinking, no." She held the bow between them as a wooden fence. "Stop following me. Stay the hell away from me."

Seeing that she had every intention of using her weapon, the suitor wisely withdrew with a curse under his breath as his consolation prize.

Yelena stiffened and watched him depart. She turned and narrowed her eyes as her breath hitched. With a sharp blow, she stabbed the bow into a rose bush.

There was a cry as a man staggered out, hands up in surrender. The weapon had missed his neck by a marginal inch. He wore the uniform of a gardener: a white shirt with red diamonds on the collar and breast pocket paired with black pants.

"You're not a gardener. So what the hell are you doing?" Yelena cut him off before he replied, "And the truth. You know I can tell if you're lying."

The man brushed himself off. But he couldn't meet her eyes. "I was tailing you."

"I can see that. Why?"

He met her eyes. "Valek ordered me to."

Yelena seemed confused but her shoulders relaxed tremendously. "Was my life in danger?"

"Something like that." The man gestured towards Arcane's path.

She groaned. That was one mortifying story she hadn't planned on ever mentioning to him.

"I can tell him that you two were just having a casual conversation." He stammered.

In a rose garden. Alone. While the moon was out. And under the pretense of liaison duties. Yelena groaned again, wanting to smack herself with the bow for her thoughtlessness or to disappear, whichever would be faster.

"Actually," She told him, "There's no need to do that. I'll talk to him myself."

The "gardener" might have lost all the air in his lungs from that sigh of relief.

* * *

When Yelena made it back to the suite, the lanterns were still lit and her lover, still in his dress uniform, sat at his writing desk working a substantial portion of his firestorm into the report.

She sat wordlessly down on the couch and waited. When he didn't speak or make any indication as to her presence, she counted to ten in her head and said, "I'm sorry."

He waited another ten seconds before setting the quill down. His voice took on their characteristic deadpan. "Do you want to follow that by telling me what you were doing or thinking?"

"We were just talking. And I wasn't thinking." Yelena looked up. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Valek came to sit beside her but he was still too angry to take her hand. "Why did you go with him, then? To get away from me?"

"Partly. Mostly I just wanted to talk to somebody."

"About us, I'm assuming."

She crossed her arms and considered; tried to remember her political training. "It can be easier to talk to someone who isn't a mutual friend. Things have been so tense between us this past year: every other conversation we have ends in an argument; I had a lapse in judgment."

"I see."

They sat without speaking for a long minute. The powerful wind thrust until branches snapped in the distance. Their breathing was slow, shallow, and uncertain.

Yelena finally broke the silence. "You shouldn't have had me followed. You know how I hate it when you do something like that without my permission."

"I had a bad feeling."

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Especially where another entitled General's son is involved."

He wasn't sure if there was a reference tied to that, but knew better than to ask. "I know that. But with the recent horrors of the Bloodrose clan, I've been feeling paranoid lately. You remember how Opal just disappeared. And she's deadly with her training."  
"Not good enough, Valek." Yelena said with exasperation. "You still could have asked for permission before having me followed. I probably would have let you if you just told me you were worried."

"Or you could have just not gone with him in the first place." And this was why he'd never survive a day in her job.

But by now they both had the chance to be angry and to say their harsh words. That should mean it was time to make up.

"You're really something else, Valek." She stood and strode to the door.

…Should.

"Where are you going?" Panic displaced all logic and level headedness once more.

The doorknob creaked as she held it mid turn. "I need time to myself. I can't stand being around you right now."

Valek ran a hand through his black hair and sighed. "Do you want me to apologize? I'm sorry, Yelena. I shouldn't have implied this was in any way your fault." He swallowed. "Please don't leave, love."

"Thank you. But I still have to leave."

"There's no reason for that, love. We've resolved this."

She pushed a sharp breath through her teeth. "You're not listening. I _have_ to leave."

He wasn't given a chance to reply. She opened the door and left the suite.

* * *

Yelena propped her stiff neck up on one hand and willed her mind back to the present the next morning. Her other hand began to wander across the page with its intricate ink design at the corner. It took ten seconds after walking out in her firestorm to realize that her only option for sleep was the floor of Dilana's narrow room. Martial law meant no checking into inns past curfew and narrow barracks. Everyone in their place.

One of these days they were going to have to work out alternate sleeping arrangements in Ixia. If, that is, they could even work anything out at this point.

A cough sounded from across the room.

Yelena sighed. This was exhausting. But it would be even more exhausting to let things continue to go on this way.

Another cough, more unrelenting this time. Her green eyes snapped up when they morphed into retching.

The food taster clutched the collar of his uniform and doubled over. Yelena was at his side the next second, demanding the name of the poison from his dying breath.

…Abalormist. One of the few poisons she remembered ingesting aside from My Love. And its effects were far worse.

Valek sprung into his battle ready position when she rammed the door open.

"It's the Commander." Yelena hurried in and explained the situation between short breaths.

He sat back down. "That narrows the suspect list down. The herb won't be in season until the Cold Season. So that means the assassin would have to use a dried specimen…and be resourceful enough to find someone with one on hand."  
"Could one of the Generals be involved? They would be wealthy enough to afford it."

"Maybe." He stroked his chin. His eyes darted to her. "Did you taste any of the food on the table?"

"Not yet. I usually wait until after the Commander's food taster finishes."

"Alright. I'll go find out who has been in and out of the Castle this past month. Can you please go interrogate the Cook?"

"What about Ari and Janco?"

"They just left on a special mission with Maren. Looks like it'll just be the two of us." He offered a smile. "I know. It's not much of a makeup date, eh?"

But she laughed. "Who needs dinner and wine when we can have danger and intrigue to keep things lively between us?"

Yelena's smile faded as she drew figure eights on the wood of the table. "You'll be tasting the Commander's food now at an actual risk." She glanced up at him. "I'm worried."

"You're forgetting who taught you everything, love."

"You need to swallow to taste Abalormist."

"Then it's imperative we find whoever is behind this as soon as possible."

Interrogating the Cook was easy enough. Sammy insisted that he and his select helpers – whom he knew by name and face, thank you very much – were the only ones allowed near the food. The same person served the Commander each day.

But was he familiar with the person who served the Commander?

Sammy shrugged, turning back to his oven. People never liked being reminded of how little they were paying attention.

Yelena smirked. It was almost too easy.

* * *

"No one has ever spoken to the server. They only remember that he has short black hair and green eyes. I wonder how many people in the world fit that description." Yelena tapped her fingers against the back of a chair.

"Nice work." Valek produced a list as he spoke. "The Commander's server doesn't typically leave the Castle without clearance – none of those with jobs this intimate ever do. But the old one has recently retired, creating the perfect opportunity."

Yelena grinned. "We managed to finish before the end of the day. I didn't know we were this good."

"I suppose we'll have to settle for dinner and wine now."

"Good. That way we can talk. About where we're going to sleep for one."

All traces of humor left him when he realized she was serious. "Where we're going to sleep?"  
Yelena nodded. "I think it could be a good thing to have a space where one of us can retreat to when things get…tense."

He pressed his hands together and touched them to his lip. "'When' things get tense? Like sometime tonight?" He cut her off before she could reply, "Because it just tends to happen 'every other conversation'?"

"This might make it better so we wouldn't have to be like this."

"Like what?" He nearly snarled.

"You know. I shouldn't have to say it."

"Maybe you do."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Like we don't like each other. Like this is all temporary until one of us realizes that what we really have is just… the danger and the intrigue."

"Is that what you believe?" He challenged, "That what we had for an entire decade was nothing but an adrenaline rush?"

"I hope it isn't." Yelena said quietly as she stood and straightened. "I'm going to have to take a rain check on dinner tonight."

"Fine." He gave her a wintry smile and made to appear as if he wouldn't care if she decided to return to Sitia at that very moment. "I'll be busy tasting the Commander's food anyways."

Her eyes widened slightly but she shrugged and left the room.

* * *

"It was Blackberry Poison this time." Valek leaned back in his chair three days later. "I've never been fond of that fruit."

"That's the second time since you started." Yelena stood and began to pace in small, agitated circles around his suite. "How much longer is it going to take to train that taster?"

"If you recall, this takes time, love."

She took a sharp breath and stopped, covering her eyes with one hand. He felt a pang of guilt. But not quite enough for the costs to outweigh the benefits.

"But there's a new player." Yelena was saying. "We need to find out who he or she is. The sooner we do, the-"

"Or we continue to wait to see what happens after we lull that person into a false sense of security. If they're involved with the same person as the server was, then it'll only be a matter of time before they slip, being this brash. In the meantime, the Commander will be safe."

"Because you're the shield." She said despondently.

"Which I've been since the inception of the order. And yet, here I still am."

Yelena approached him. "But we're going to spend our last week together worried about your safety."

"Odd, eh? As it's usually yours we're worried about, love."

She punched him playfully. "Only because I don't sit in an office all day doing paperwork."

He looked affronted. "Have you ever tried to reassign a burly Captain from his comfortable quarters here to the border where your bed is a pile of pine needles? It's much harder than helping a puff of air move on."

"Puff…of…air…?" Yelena sputtered through a burst of giggles. "Did you just call a soul a _puff of air?_"

Valek flicked his fingers and traced a semicircle in the air. "Puff."

"Oh it's going to take me so long to take this job seriously again. You're evil."

"So I've been told." He took her hand and stood slowly. "Should we skip dinner tonight?" His fingers trailed up her arm and he brushed his lips across her cheek.

"Ah…it would lower the risk." She slipped her hands beneath his jacket, enticing a delighted shiver.

Of course his idea of a lower risk had to do with the odds of another fight. She was probably thinking more pragmatically.

Either way, he kissed her, throwing the disagreement (and any future ones) into oblivion.

The last thing he wanted was for her to wonder why he was in absolutely no hurry to train the new food taster or to even find the Commander's would be assassin.

* * *

**A bit of a slow chapter. There will be one more part to this seven months ago thing. :) I think we can all read Valek's motives here but stay tuned to see what happens next!**


	5. Being With You is Terrifying

Chapter 4: Being With You is Terrifying

* * *

Yelena opened her eyes to the darkness, a feeling of severe unrest scraping at her bones. She sat up in the bed and turned to Valek's side, disturbed that he still wasn't there.

Coming to bed late happened often enough with the Commander's penchant for lengthy discussions before retiring.

But at this point, it was really late even for that.

With a disconcerted breath, she swung her legs over the bed and began to dress.

The door clicked open before she managed to finish buttoning her shirt. Relief washed over her.

"There you are. I was growing worried." Yelena slipped the shirt off again.

"Worried, love?"

His stride was still graceful but there was a catch to it. Her eyes widened.

"It looks worse than it really is." Valek removed the shirt to reveal a bloody, scabbed gash across his abdomen.

"Looks?!" Yelena exclaimed. "You reopened the same stab wound!"

She rushed over to find the med kit and ordered him to sit on the edge of the bed.

"What happened?" She asked as she dressed and tended to the injury.

"I decided to pick a knife fight with the Commander."

Yelena eyed him flatly, her shoulders still tense. "Why?"

"It seemed like a good idea. It gave me the opportunity to finish the night with a challenging match. And I wanted to see how I fared against him at this point."

"And it never occurred to you to do this…" She made a waving gesture with the hand holding the threaded needle. "…intact? You know, when your odds would have made _sense_?"

"Not at all." Valek winced as the needle went in. "My odds have never looked better like this."

Yelena made the second stitch as gently as she could. "Really?"

"Only one injury to debilitate me and medical assistance immediately after. Yes, those are particularly good odds."

"What happened to 'always winning'?"

"Age." Valek said quietly.

She stilled. He watched as she forced herself to go back to stitching and sealing.

"It's a victory these days to survive with everything intact. Good thing I gave up leaving statues behind long ago."

Yelena finished and set the med kit aside. She took a deep breath and tugged briefly at the hem of her undershirt, collecting courage.

"What is it, love?"

Her eyes caught his. "Come with me."

Silence as a glass wall grew between them.

Valek spoke without emotion. "You already know the answer to that. We both do."

"I mean it this time." Her voice intensified. "Retire. Come with me. We'll never have to be apart again."

"And do what?" He asked. "Do you have any idea what you're asking me to sacrifice?"

"The Commander." She stood to put the med kit away.

Frost formed on the glass sheet between them.

Panic. Terror. Deep foreboding that no part of him could place. His heart raced and his throat clenched though no part of his face showed it.

"Let me put it to you this way." Valek said calmly. "If I asked you to give up being a Liaison and to just remain in Ixia with me, could you?"

"No." She clutched her arms, her back to him. "You're right. I'm sorry."

More silence.

Yelena sat beside him again. "Being with you is terrifying."

"Funny. I feel the exact same way about you, love."

She smiled ruefully and paused, deciding. "You become dearer to me the longer we're together. Being with you is being with the one person in this world who I will never have to hide any part of myself from. You were the first person to let me believe that I could trust again. But somehow…a tiny part of me has the hardest time believing I can have or even deserve any of this. Sometimes all I can think about when we're together is that it will end at some point – that it will only be a matter of time before we lose it all."

Yelena's shoulders relaxed and she let out a breath of relief. "But I just realized that the fact that I was able to tell you all of that and _know_ that you will never use any of it against me…that makes all this uncertainty worth it." She finished simply.

Valek took her hand.

They say that when it comes to trust, it's always about the small moments. And that in each of those tiny fractions of time, there would carry the ultimate means to either build…or to betray.

He stroked each finger with the pad of his thumb. "Then for your sake, I will try to be more careful."

Yelena laughed with relief and buried her face in his neck.

He held her to him in silent reply.

Eventually, she raised her head slightly to ask, "By the way, has the person been apprehended? The one behind all these attacks?"

"Not yet." He replied without hesitation. "I'm still reviewing the list of potential suspects."

"What can I do to help?"

"I will let you know."

"And the food taster? Will he be trained soon?"

"If you will recall, the process takes longer than several days. Even someone as talented as you took me weeks." Valek pulled away to look at her. "And I thought I had just departed from a debriefing session, love."

Yelena smiled sheepishly. "I just want to know that I won't have to worry when I leave."

"You won't. You can always trust me to be careful. It's where you and I are different." He winked.

She tried visibly to push dire thoughts aside as their lips met again.

* * *

The cook cowered in the corner with his mixing bowl as the Liaison approached him.

"Relax." Yelena said calmly. "You know me, Sammy. I just want to talk."

His hands trembled as he set the bowl down on the counter with a violent clatter.

She glanced briefly at the bowl with a sigh. "You know I don't bite."

"Unless the people you love are involved…"

Yelena crossed her arms and fixed a steady gaze on him. "Which you should have nothing to worry about if you've really nothing to hide. I could always just read your soul if you'd prefer."

"Look!" Sammy held both unsteady hands up. "I don't know what's going on. But I swear to you that I've – all of us – have been watching every plate like a hawk since the incident. We have no idea how it keeps happening but it just does!"

She didn't need her powers to sense he was telling the truth.

"And the server?" She asked. "He or she never changes, correct? You'd know if there was a switch?"

"Of course! And that's probably because the server is Valek!" Sammy wrung his apron and tapped his foot restlessly. "He's been delivering each tray personally ever since the attack so I really have no idea where all those poisons could have possibly been coming from."

Yelena considered. It was possible that someone with enough ability was using magic to taint the food. She encountered enough magicians (including her own mentor) who could waltz in and out of a room without anyone being the wiser.

It all made sense and should have added up.

Should.

But something deep in her heart of hearts insisted something was off.

* * *

"You're still here." Valek observed as he entered the suite bright with mid-morning.

Yelena threw her arms around his neck and grinned at him. "Surprise."

He gently pulled her hands down. "What's wrong? Are you alright? You should have left by now."

"I'm fine." She replied. "As for leaving…well it looks like I'm doing that thing where one of us shirks duties out of concern for the other's wellbeing."

Valek staggered inwardly. "What?"

Yelena smiled. "Consider my stay indefinite until that food taster is trained to your satisfaction or that wannabe assassin is caught – whichever comes first."

"You don't have to do this."

"Of course I do. We both know it makes the most sense – with my powers, I can expel any poison and heal my body before there can be any permanent damage. This way, no one will be in any real danger. Well…" Yelena smirked. "…relatively speaking, of course."

"What about your Liaison duties?"

"Don't worry. I've got that covered." She assured him. "Nothing says diplomacy better than putting your neck on the line for the other country. The Council will be sure to agree with my decision."

Valek inclined his head. "Alright then."

"That's it?" Yelena asked as he began walking away. She crossed her arms. "You're just going to give in?"

"There's a difference between relenting and being persuaded." His stance matched hers. "It's the latter."

"I know it was a persuasive argument because it is." Yelena tilted her head. "But I just decided to put my life on the line when there has been a string of what…days(?)…of botched assassination attempts involving the most exotic and lethal of poisons."

"What's your point?" His face remained neutral.

Yelena's eyes narrowed. "You're never this easy to persuade and not nearly as rational when it comes to my safety…and _especially_ when it comes to the Commander's. So either you've gone through the most radical of character developments overnight or…" She stood before him. "…there's no actual danger."

No one else would have noticed the fidget. But it was what gave him away to his heartmate of nearly a decade.

She pushed the breath out through her teeth and went to perch on the edge of the couch. "So were you ever even in any danger? Did you kill that food taster to… catalyze this?"

He sat next to her but kept a tactful distance of two seats away. "No. The food taster died of his own accord. What followed after I arrested the server was intentional."

Her head hurt and she was suddenly exhausted from the impact. But she made her ask anyways. "Why?"

"I think you know why."

"No, I don't actually." She shot to her feet. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she clutched the arm of the couch, sitting back down.

There was the sound of water pouring and a cup being pressed into her hand. She set it down on the table without drinking.

"I have been worried to the point of losing sleep for half a season over you." Yelena continued. "And it never occurred to you that the honorable thing to do would have been to end that?"

"Of course it did!"

"So why didn't you? To keep me distracted from whatever illegal operation you're planning that you know I wouldn't like? Or did you just do it for my attention?"

"Are you going to let me tell you why or not?" Valek snapped.

Her expression must have warned him because he rushed to finish, "There was something to what you said during one of our last arguments." He stood and began to pace, running a hand through his black hair. "You said that sometimes this could seem temporary – that all we have is the 'danger and the intrigue.'"

Valek abruptly stopped. "I was terrified because of the truth a part of me knows that theory could possibly hold." He sat beside her and took her hands in his with great urgency. "Surely you'd understand why I could no longer think properly."

Yelena snatched her hands out of his grip and balled them into fists above her knees. "And it never occurred to you to just talk to me?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Come to think of it, I can't even remember the last time we made an actual decision together. What am I even to you?"

"Far more than whatever it is you're implying." Valek said fiercely. He leaned forward but immediately retreated when she flinched. "Why do you think I even fell for you, Yelena?"

When she didn't answer, he rushed on, "It was because we understood each other – even when neither of us knew it yet. We both lost everything and had to always struggle so hard to not only survive, but to hold onto whatever hope we still had left that our lives were even worth living."

Valek stopped, his voice softening tremendously. "…That we still matter."

He gestured between them. "When you came into my life, I suddenly began caring if I lived or died. The possibility of losing you…it was unbearable. The only thing I knew was that there is no better way to avoid an argument than a dire situation. I reasoned that if we were to discuss anything in a state like that, the outcome would be better. We'd have a clear reminder of why we were together."

"Discuss anything? No, I'm pretty sure you went further than that. No one's discussing anything like border politics or safe houses when someone's about to, you know, die. You weren't interested in us discussing _anything_."

"Again, could you blame me? Our discussions _don't_ end well."

Yelena rubbed her temples. "Please stop justifying this. You know you manipulated me."

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"At least you're not denying it." Yelena stood slowly, still lightheaded. "I need to think about this."

"Of course."

"In Sitia."

He stiffened.

"I think," She said carefully, backing away, "that it would be better if we took a break for a while."

"Yelena, I understand you're angry." He started.

"Yes. And you've shown that you have a problem with it – my anger. Intentionally or not, you stop thinking about how I'm thinking or what I'm feeling when we disagree. It becomes an endgame to you. "

"You're not an endgame, Yelena."

"Then you need to start convincing me." She said with steel in her fists and eyes. "I've had people try to possess and control me my entire life. A benevolent master would be no different. I'm not one of your marks and you need to stop treating me like I am. Don't follow me."

She went upstairs to pack. He wouldn't see her again for seven months.

* * *

**Happy (belated) Holidays! This chapter was short but hopefully it kept up the momentum for what's about to come next! Obviously the plot will go beyond their lovers' quarrel. :)  
**

**So what would you like to see next? **

**-What's happening behind the Purple Door**

**-What "busted" means and where that information is going**

**-The next time Yelena walks into Valek's suite**

**Reader: I'm glad you enjoy this story as well! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thanks for always letting me know what you think. :)**


	6. You're the Only One, I Promise

Yelena was dragged in through the door. She removed her cloak and placed both hands on her hips as the lock bolted.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well I was thinking we start with the wine. Then we go on to a warm bath and then-"

"Ugh." She voiced her disgust. "Is this the only way you think?"

"Of course. You ought to know me by now and of course, how I feel about you."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you."

"So I _haven't_ been told."

Yelena suddenly made a slicing gesture and held a finger to her lips. She ghosted over to the window and opened it wide enough for the bat to enter. He made himself comfortable beneath her elbow.

"How'd that thing get around solid walls so fast?!"

She cleared her throat and nodded toward the moonlight.

"Oh that's right. You're still the uncontested winner of creepiest magician of the year."

"We'll have to do this another time. We're being watched."

"And you didn't pick up on it?"

Yelena shook her head. "I can't sense a null shield."

"You know that Valek's going to find out at some point, right? What you're doing? Whether that little bird of his outside decided to report or not?" He asked as she pulled the hood of her cloak back on.

"He won't." She replied calmly. "He's overprotective but he'll never doubt me like this."

He scoffed. "Right. Because you two have just been the model for effective communication and trust between couples for the past year."

Yelena scowled at him and went to open the window.

"Look." He tried to come off as cavalier. "I'm worried because my father will kill me if he finds out."

"I didn't think you cared. You've done this dozens of times after all."

"As I'm sure you have too."

She nearly slammed the window as her hands trembled around the lattice. "He _pushed_ me to do this."

He laughed at her from across the room. "Right. I'm sure you're not the first to say that about her lover."

To both their astonishment, she didn't jab him back. "Please just pick a better meeting place next time." She said softly, fatigue coating her voice like a layer of dust.

"Alright." He said, the sneering and contempt suddenly gone. His gaze continued to linger on her back.

Yelena let the cold night air blow across her face. She closed her eyes to smell the roses and lilacs for one last tranquil moment before making her escape.

* * *

"Or she's having an affair." Ari said again for the tenth time the next morning. "You didn't hear them talking, did you?"

"Alright Ari, for the last time…" Janco made a chopping motion with his hand at each word for emphasis. "…No. One's. Having. An. Affair! And I told you, those doors are soundproof to bats."

"You saw her walk into an inn known for its debauchery." His partner counted, disregarding him. "Then proceed to walk into a room at midnight where she was then alone, for an extended period of time, with a strange man who even leered (yes, leered) 'you're not supposed to be here' before proceeding to drag her in. Clandestine meetings aside, did any part of that sound like something you'd want to run to tell Valek about?!"

"She's not having an affair." Janco declared, all traces of humor gone from his face. "Come on, Ari. It's Yelena. We should know her better than anyone. She wouldn't do something like this."

"No one's immune to infidelity, Janco." Ari said quietly. "Especially those you'd least expect."

He pointed to the threshold of their office. "Well those two are. After everything they've been through and done for each other, this is the absolute last thing that'd happen. She's not having an affair. I'm sticking with my original theory: that she's been bonked. All the more reason to hate magic."

"So let's say that some powerful magician (I'm going to assume it's that man she's _not_ having an affair with) managed to do the near impossible: put the Soulfinder under his control. Then instead of doing the sensible thing anyone would have done in his place which is to have her kill Valek in his sleep, he has her meet him somewhere relatively out in the open where she could be easily discovered by one of Valek's spies, or hey why not do even better…one of his second-in-commands?!"

"So you thought about this?! Killing Valek?!"

Ari sputtered. "No…no! That's not the point!" He shook his head. "It's a perfectly plausible plan."

"Well then in that case, since we're clearly just 'speculating' could it possibly occur to you that our bad guy could be planning something else? Killing Valek or anyone like that for that matter is a one shot. So if I were him, I'd probably go for the grand prize."

"The Commander."

"Right."

"That still leaves one pressing problem. Because either way, I doubt Yelena would want Valek to know where she was last night. How are we going to tell him?"

"By telling me." Valek appeared at the doorway.

They both jumped, eyes wide.

The Security Chief walked into the room. "Where was she last night?"

"Well…" They both started at the same time.

Ari and Janco fell silent and glanced at each other. They both began again, "She was…"

Valek leaned forward, ready to pounce.

Ari placed a hand on Janco's shoulder and stepped forward as the representative. But as he was about to speak, Valek suddenly raised a hand.

"No, stop." He said, glancing down in brief contemplation. "Don't tell me."

Janco's jaw dropped.

Valek gave them a small smile. "I have a feeling it's not your secret to tell and it is the reason for your very apparent discomfort."

They only managed weak nods.

"I'll wait for her to tell me." He spoke more to himself now. "She will when she's ready."

Valek shook his head. "Anything else?"

They watched him, both stunned beyond relief for several seconds before leaping into rapid fire explanations over their other findings.

* * *

"And when are we going to stop meeting like this?"

Yelena didn't turn but slowed her pace in the marketplace. She stopped at a stall and pretended to compare the oranges.

He caught up quickly. "Well? Are you really going to do this just because of our little tiff last night?"

She still didn't say a word but continued walking toward the outskirts. The setting sun cast a red glow on the path they stood on.

"Damn it, Yelena. That cold shoulder of yours might have Valek on his knees in a heartbeat but it sure as hell isn't going to work on me."

"Don't flatter yourself." She snapped. "You should know better than to talk to me out in the open like that."

He smirked. "I thought that at first. But then I reasoned: With this whole country crawling with Valek's spies, everywhere is out in the open."

Yelena crossed her arms, "Alright, fine. What do you need to see me so badly for?"

"I think we need to finish what we started last night." He raised an eyebrow.

Her cross expression morphed into anticipation. "_Now_?"

"_Now_. There's not much time before curfew. Unless you want to sneak out again? I mean sure, that was fun and all but…"

She cut him off by ramming into him and dragging him back towards the market.

When she was out of sight, Valek dropped silently down from the rafters.

He could follow, as he's done a thousand times over before. It would be so easy and no one, not even _her_, would be any the wiser.

And it would be so easy to justify it too. Something was off and she wasn't herself – it just wasn't a good sign and he therefore had good reason to believe that her life was in danger.

But he didn't take a step forward. Instead his gaze turned inwards again. _Stop justifying this. _

Was this a test? Was this punishment?

* * *

Yelena walked into the suite hours past sunset. Several lanterns were lit and Valek waited for her on the couch.

She lowered her hood and removed her cloak.

"When do you intend to stop punishing me, Yelena?"

She stopped with slight bewilderment. "Not how I planned on starting this evening but alright. You think I'm punishing you?"

He made a bitter noise from the back of his throat. "I have no idea how to answer that."

Yelena considered for a moment before walking away.

"At the very least tell me what you want me to do or how much longer I have to wait." His voice sounded tired even to him. "I know what I did was wrong. And I'll spare you the maudlin details of how much my heart hurts but just tell me if it'll end at some point."

She paused at the foot of the stairs. Her hand clenched briefly around the banister, whitening her knuckles.

Valek watched her approach him again with an neutral expression on her face.

She sat beside him. Her words came out gentle and warm. "I'm sorry."

"You're still angry at me." He stated. "Will you tell me why?"

Yelena hesitated for what felt like hours. In the end, she merely took his hand. "Not now. I'm tired too."

Before he could answer, she kissed him.

He pulled away reluctantly. "No. This can't wait."

She gave him a small smile that only soothed his aching heart. "There's no one else. You're the only one, I promise." She kissed his jaw and neck. "Can it wait now?"

He slipped a hand into her soft hair and pulled her in for another kiss. "Yes."

* * *

**Didn't think you'd see an update this soon, did you? :D Apparently being whammied with the cold does wonders for writing - mainly because there's nothing else left to do...**

**As always, please review! Still clear as mud? Stay tuned for the next chapter to see who it is that Yelena's *not* having an affair with (though it's probably a bit obvious at this point)! **

**Reader: Hopefully you enjoyed all three choices! :D**

**Soulfinder6546: Thanks as always for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**


	7. Yelena Has No Idea

Yelena turned on her side and gazed out the window.

A stifled knot tied her intestines together where simple lethargy should have been. She squeezed her eyes shut and then reopened them. The fog clung to the balcony glass door as the wind tried to tear its way in.

Without thought, she sat up and swung her legs over the bed. She walked slowly around the room, trying to remember where her clothes had landed.

There was a rustle from the bed as she began to dress.

"Yelena?" Valek's voice was hoarse with sleep.

She didn't seem to hear him as she sat on the edge of the bed and began to button her shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't sleep. I'm going for a walk."

"It's the middle of the night, love." He reminded her patiently.

"I'll take my cloak."

"I meant it's long past curfew."

"Make an exception." She began to look for her boots.

"Yelena." Valek said in a sterner voice as he climbed out of bed.

He lit a single lantern and she stopped, squinting against the sudden, piercing illumination.

"You're shivering." Valek pulled a blanket off the bed and draped it around her shoulders. "Can't you feel that?"

Yelena shook her head and absently tugged the blanket closer around her body. She perched at the edge of the bed.

"You haven't been sleeping." Valek sat beside her.

"I know. I'm sorry I woke you again."

"Don't be. I don't mind." He gingerly stroked her hair. "We can stay up together."

She remained still for another moment, but then opened the blanket and draped it over his bare shoulders. She smirked at how they were still warm despite the chill. "Snow cat."

Valek smiled. "The fur's terrible in the hot season though."

"I like the heat. It means I get to see you in less."

He laughed. "You could have just asked."

They didn't speak for some time, content to be in each other's arms for a brief truce.

Yelena smiled softly at the tranquility that surrounded them. As she considered it, her eyes suddenly grew heavy with both restless fatigue and frustration. Was this all they would ever be? Bouts of ceasefire between never ending, self-inflicted battles?

Still, there would be no better opportunity. Maybe when it was all over they can remember how endearing she could be when she demonstrated her capacity to be as ruthless as him. "I need papers to travel to MD-4 tomorrow."

He swallowed the stillborn _why_ back down his throat. "Of course, love. How long will you be staying?"

"One week. I should be able to go and return within a fortnight."

His muscles tensed. "Alright. You can collect them from my office tomorrow at noon."

"Thank you. I'll leave in the afternoon." Yelena looked down and drew patterns in the blanket to avoid seeing the storm brewing in his eyes.

"Is it that urgent? You won't save that much time. It will still take another day to reach the General's house."

"How did you know that I was going to the General's house?" Her stomach turned. She had walked right into that one.

"I guessed." He replied cooly.

Yelena forced herself to meet his eyes. Doing otherwise always meant admitting guilt. "You're right. I'll wait until the morning after, then."

She slipped out of the blanket and back under the covers, turning onto her side once more.

* * *

Ari and Janco walked into Valek's office the next morning. Something had been urgent enough to pull them both out of the morning exercises.

Valek stopped writing as soon as they stepped in. "I will be immediately traveling to MD-8 on a classified mission, so until I return, you two will be in charge."

"Yes, sir."

He gestured to a stack of folders on the ground. "Those are the more important updates on our operations that I will need particular attention paid to."

Ari picked several up, briefly leafing through.

Valek gazed down at the document that he had been composing. His idle pen hovered above as he considered, its shadow dancing small circles around it. It ultimately signed the form in its entirety.

"This is for Yelena." His hand lingered as he passed it to Janco. "She'll be here to pick it up at noon."  
Janco nodded and scanned it. "Hey, here's an idea, boss. Why don't you send one of us to MD-8 to take care of whatever errand you've got so you can go with Yelena on her Soulfinding field trip and get some quality time in?"

"No." Valek replied sharply.

The Power Twins exchanged glances.

"You two are to stay and thoroughly examine the contents of those folders until noon when Yelena arrives. Is that understood?"

Ari tapped the stack of folders deliberately. "So if I follow your reasoning, you intend for that document to sit here until noon when it might be more practical for one of us to hand deliver it to Yelena right about now while she's in the kitchen eating breakfast?"

"Of course." Valek said in deadpan. "And that's because _both_ of you should be here looking over those files I meticulously sectioned out for you." He stood, preparing to leave. "'Particular attention' is defined as urgent. And by 'urgent,' it means now. Any more questions?"

Ari suppressed any huff of annoyance by glancing away. "No, sir."

Valek left the office.

Janco shook his head. "Everything is life or death for those two. Maybe what really happened six months ago had only to do with someone staying out late and not notifying the other."

* * *

Yelena strolled into the office at the appointed time. "Where's Valek?"

The two men glanced up from the files they were reading.

Janco set his down and rubbed the back of his neck. "He had to leave for an urgent mission. But here's those forms you wanted."

Yelena took them and absently traced Valek's signature on them. "Without saying goodbye?" She shook her head and wiped her face of any lingering emotion. "Did he say where he was going?"

Ari was watching her closely. "MD-8."

For the briefest of moments that would have been easily missed, a look of contrition washed over her face. But it disappeared behind a smile. "I see. Thank you."

She walked out.

Paperwork forgotten, the Power Twins came side to side to discuss.

"I say Yelena's feeling guilty about her boorish behavior because it's probably what drove Valek away."

"No, it has to be more than that. Infidelity is involved, and now likely on both sides from the looks of it."

"Infi-" Janco through his hands up. "I will kill you in your sleep if you want to start that one up again. Valek's so loyal he'd take the noose for you if you swore you had good reason for setting fire to the Cold Season food supply."

"Do you know why I can't help but come to this conclusion even after analyzing the situation from so many different angles?"

Janco raised an eyebrow.

"Those two are always at cross purposes with each other at one point or another. This is no exception. Valek was deliberately trying to delay Yelena so that he could sneak away first. Meanwhile, I get a feeling that Yelena has something to do with Valek's random mission in a district conveniently located opposite the one she's headed for. But what do they do whenever they are in a situation like this?"

"Do their own thing?"

"Yes, and…?" Seeing the blank expression on Janco's face, Ari finished, "...ask us for help while insisting their cause is the nobler one. They'll come to us separately but we end up getting the general gist of what they're up to in order to find a way for everyone to achieve their objective and be happy again."

"Oh yeah." Janco poked air with a finger. "Like that one time there was this rogue magician on the loose in MD-2 and we had to call in all those favors to get them back to snuggling in front of the fireplace again. The hardest part was getting them both to still think it was their own doing because Valek had to-"

"Yes." Ari cut him off. "The point is, they're not above asking for help. It's not in their natures."

"But they're not asking this time." Janco said slowly, realization striking him.

"No. And that can only mean that not only are they both doing something that they shouldn't be doing, but…"

"...that they're both doing something which they know would disappoint us if we knew." Janco's jaw fell open. "Holy Snow Cats, someone is having an affair!"

"But I did think more about what you've been saying." Ari added. "It might not be an affair. Valek prides his own loyalty above all else and Yelena has never been one for deception when it comes to matters of the heart."

"Either way, it - whatever it is they're both doing - has to be something just as, if not even more devastating. What do we do?"

Ari pointed to Valek's desk. "We figure out what they're doing. I'm going to look through everything related to MD-8 and you're going to look up General Tesso's son, Arcane."

"Arcane?"

"General Tesso of MD-4's son, the man who has stirred up more than his fair share of gossip six months ago when the Liaison was in town, _and_," Ari gave Janco a pointed look, "the guy I'm quite certain you saw Yelena getting into a room at Jewel Inn with."

"Oh you're good at this."

"Quick wit for ambushes and deliberate thought for making sense out of everything afterwards." Ari smiled companionably. "We balance each other out."

Janco shook his head good-naturedly. But his face soon became pensive. "We'll be able to fix this one too, won't we?"

"It will be difficult." Ari said baldly. "Broken trust has to be the most difficult to come back from."

"Come on, Ari. No one's broken anything yet, right?" He sighed at the look on his face. "At this point, then, can we even say that those two have any business being together?"

"Yes."

Janco was ultimately convinced by the quiet intensity in Ari's voice that only emerged when his answer would be final; when he gave his solemn oath to live and die side by side with him over a decade ago.

* * *

Valek landed soundlessly in the living room of the safe house. He sensed a sudden rush and caught the sound of running feet before they even thought to move.

The magician was slammed face down onto the couch.

"Relax." Valek said quietly, not bothering to conceal his smirk. He eased back when the struggling stopped.

"What took so long?" She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Yelena?" A distinct tightness in her voice.

"Has no idea." He finished. "I've told you: I'm only here for you."

She visibly relaxed and a smile grew. "Upstairs, then."

* * *

**Surprise! I know it's been too long. No excuses. Only updates. **


	8. Appropriate Moments

It was easy to beat Yelena to MD-4 as she routinely walked there, dressed as a servant to ward off attention. Janco didn't have anything to hide so, reasonably, took a horse and one befitting an officer of his rank. Boy was he going to regret that decision.

He crept in through the window and placed his hands on his hips as he briefly glanced over the bedroom. It was Spartan but had enough personal touches including keepsakes and paintings to keep it from turning into a vacant inn room. Silver banners hung from the walls.

After expertly popping several locks on a hidden compartment in a cabinet, he found an assortment of love letters and memorabilia. Janco scanned them for potential codes and tucked them back where he found them, all the while experiencing one of those rare moments when he didn't look back on his lunch fondly.

He strolled across the carpet and lifted a banner. The door slammed open. Finally. He was getting so bored.

Janco was tackled to the ground before he could run.

The woman snatched his mask off and used her weight to hold him down. "Guards!"

"You sure you want to do that, sweetheart? I can think of several people, including Valek, who wouldn't be too happy to hear about this."

"Nice try. But you were the one breaking and entering. I could have you-"

"And I could have your head for your family's illegal involvement with our Southern neighbors."

"What are you talking about?"

Damn. That usually worked. And this was why Janco hated working with politicians.

The sound of running feet thundered against the carpet that now burned his face.

A sword was drawn and pressed to his neck. "Explain yourself."

Janco kept silent. He was on his feet again after being pulled up by two guards. This was a start.

The sword was at his neck again. But this time the General's face paled.

"You were saying, General?"

Tesso signaled the guards to stand down and sheathed his own sword. "My apologies, sir."

Janco rubbed his arms and looked around the room again. "Where's your son?"

The woman was about to speak but the General placed a hand on her shoulder. The family resemblance was uncanny.

"What has he done now?" Tesso asked before just as quickly waving a hand. "It matters little. Whatever it is he's done, I'll pay for it."

"Isn't it obvious? Do I really need to spell it out for you?" Janco hoped his face was able to convince the room that he knew exactly what he was referring to.

The woman sighed in extreme exasperation and rubbed her temples. "This is the second time this year! Who is it now?" She blinked at Janco, waiting.

Her eyes widened before he had to bluff again. "Shit."

"Kanna." The General said sternly.

She didn't hear him. "You're the Security Chief's second. Oh, shit, shit, shit."

"Kanna, that's quite enough!" Tesso thundered. "Now who, pray tell, is the person in question?"

"The Liaison, daddy!" She said with extreme exasperation as she tugged at her braid, ready to pull it out.

"Yes, we are talking about the liaison Arcane had partaken in. But between whom are you refer-" He paled. "Oh. Shit."

Kanna tapped her foot and seemed to exercise great restraint to keep from biting her nails. "Please don't kill him. It doesn't have to come to this."

Now this was just getting weird. Janco opened his mouth but was cut off.

"Would Arcane really be this reckless?!" Tesso had laced his hands behind his back and was pacing. "And he had assured me it was all hearsay!"

OH. Janco worked to keep his face neutral and looked straight ahead at the silver banner.

"What wouldn't he do? It's Arcane." Kanna said immediately.

"Yes, but one of Valek's?!"

"I told you not to take him to that meeting! He can't help himself. And then we're the ones who have to clean up his mess. He never stops to think about what's he's about to do." She stopped pacing. Her shadow, cast by the morning light, stopped dancing across the rust colored rug. "Or who he's about to do…" She muttered.

"Kanna!" Tesso's face burned red at the innuendo. He turned back to Janco. "Again… I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement to avoid any kind of…scandal."

"Avoid?" Janco raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard the kitchen gossip?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Kanna took a large breath. "Although to be fair, shouldn't Yelena bear some of the responsibility as well?"

Janco raised the other eyebrow (yes, eyebrow acrobatics was one of his many talents).

The General stepped in front of Kanna again. "My daughter is suggesting a possible way for us to all avoid scandal with minimal collateral damage. I'm sure the Liaison and the Security Chief would both have better things to concern themselves with, after all."

"And that is exactly why I'm here today." Janco crossed his arms with a triumphant smirk.

The General sagged in relief. He was, of course, less than pleased with the way his son's reputation became what the callous Liaison had decided to utilize in order to buy herself time unmolested by a nosy adviser. But then again, he had also reasoned, being a father to a libertine was a rather small price to pay to have the Soulfinder be in their debt. And while gossip such as this tended to spread like wildfire, it would also do to remember that flames that erupt this abruptly inevitably burns out the soonest.

* * *

Yelena propped her chin up on one hand and tapped the table with the ends of her fingers. "Well?"

"Well, here it is." Arcane laid the file on the table.

Yelena picked it up and examined it by the dim light. "You're sure?"

He leaned against the wall of the dungeon. "When have I ever let you down, my dear? I found that Sandseed sword, Pemba, for you. Then I found the Bloodgood's Pendant of Serise, and...need I continue?"

"You let me down when you had me believe we could be friends."

"I don't see why we can't still be."

Her expression didn't change.

He sobered. "And as your friend, I'm only going to say this once because I sincerely believe that you of all people will understand: some things are better left unsaid and some secrets are definitely not meant to be shared."

"I didn't ask for your advice." Yelena snapped as she yanked the dusty cover of the file open.

But before she could read a portion of it, Arcane pushed it back closed with one hand. "I'm serious, Yelena. _Think._ Think about what you're about to reveal and ask yourself - _honestly _ask yourself - if this is what you really want to do."

"I have to know."

"And I shouldn't have to remind you that there's another way to find out." Hand still pressed down on the cover of the folder, Arcane went around the table to crouch beside her. "If you go through with this, it will change everything, regardless of the outcome. Nothing will ever be the same between you two again."

"Which would be convenient for you, right?"

He looked up and groaned. "I'm sorry, alright? Look, what happened seven months ago was inappropriate and wrong. I was wrong. But I still do care about you and don't want you to do something you'll regret."

Yelena folded her hands and regally rested her chin on them, demonstrating her acceptance of the apology.

Arcane sighed. "Listen to me. Valek isn't the most open and straightforward person in the world. And being with that has to be unbelievably maddening. I get that." He paused. "But I have a difficult time believing that he would intentionally lie to you about anything if you were to ask him, especially if was something this personal."

She placed her hands flat on the table again and idly traced the table. "He wouldn't lie. But he also considers omissions and subtle manipulations to be fair play. Something doesn't add up here," She pointed to the folder, "but I also know that he's too meticulous to leave something of this magnitude unaddressed. Yet I found nothing substantial in his office or in his personal suite."

"Maybe you just didn't look hard enough. You said it yourself, his organization methods were never meant to make sense to anyone other than himself."

"No, I made a thorough enough search." Yelena leaned back and crossed her arms. "It began with the murder of a General's son. And it ends with the conviction of said General. There was nothing else in the middle save for a two year delay whereby the convict was sentenced to life as food taster to the Commander. What happened in that missing year while she was imprisoned?"

"Alright, how about this then? You also said that he had a hell of a time figuring you out the two years you worked in the castle."

"Did he, really?"

He sighed again and held up his other hand, spinning it in midair. "For argument's sake let's just imagine for a second that he's still trustworthy, okay? Devil's Advocate. Think about it this way: He didn't know you, evidenced by all the extraordinary ways he thought up to test you and to see what makes you tick. If he was already that far off at that stage in the game, then that should say a lot about what he knew...or, rather, didn't know."

"Which would then beg a new question: why was no investigation opened?"

"Why should there have been? They had their convict and their murder weapon. In Ixia, people tend to forgo questions so long as the job gets done."

"Valek _isn't _a typical Ixian."

"True. But maybe he had other things to do. He is in charge of an entire country, after all." Arcane gestured in the hazy midmorning light. "Or perhaps there was a method to his madness. Throw them off by letting them believe that they were still getting away with what they were doing."

Yelena shook her head. "Then why wait a year? It's not very tactful to leave a witness conspicuously alive for such an inordinate amount of time.

"What would you do?" He asked as he tapped the top of the folder with an index finger. "If your suspicions were confirmed right now? Once you reach a certain point there's no turning back."

"Even then," she smiled ruefully as she clasped the folder, pulling it from under his hand, "in my experience, indecision has always been the more fatal option."

Yelena opened the folder. Arcane only had to look at her resigned expression to know that her hunch was right.

He still sighed. "You used to be so much more generous with the ones you love."

* * *

Valek followed the magician upstairs. She led him into an office and sat at the desk.

"My sources tell me that they have located it in MD-4." He took a precursory survey of the narrow room. It was sparsely decorated but, to his eyes, still laden with hiding places.

"You're sure?" His companion asked.

"As certain as I am that one of your accomplices is eavesdropping beneath the false floorboard your desk rests on."

Her inexperience forced the flush. "Precautions. You'd understand."

In the interest of time, he didn't pause to mention how pointless the notion was. "Pack your things. We're leaving in the morning."

"To be ambushed by Yelena?" She crossed her arms. "Try again."

"I've told you."

"That I'm under your protection. But should the Liaison stand with Sitia in this matter - which she more than likely will - where will your jurisdiction lie then?" She held up a hand. "It's only a matter of time before she figures it out."

Valek smiled mirthlessly. "Then we had better hurry."

* * *

Janco's victory dance down the hall was rudely interrupted by the distinct click of a hidden door opening. He turned his head to put his mutilated ear out of sight and began picking at his nails.

Yelena and Arcane emerged without a second glance his direction.

"It's not too late, Yelena." The man was saying.

When she refused to answer, he sighed in exasperation and placed a hand with practiced familiarity on the wall beside her head.

"Come on, sweetheart. Not that again. I don't have to leave this second and you know it. Just say the word."

But she held her head up. "Yes. You do. Before I really change my mind."

Arcane shook his head at her but left as he was told.

When he was out of sight, Yelena glanced rapidly about her and ran the other direction.

Janco realized at that moment how unproductive it probably was to try to spy on people who considered hiding between rafters to conduct surveillance on some misbehaving official or captain "fun date stuff."

…With or without the null shield…

Yelena slammed him into the wall, her green eyes blazing. She stood more than a head beneath him but the image of a furious mountain lion was rammed into his head.

"Seriously?" Her irritation sliced neatly through his ribbon like nerves.

He gaped at her like a fish. But he did have obstinate loyalty to thank for his adequate reflexes. "Oh no. I'm not the one who's in trouble here."

"What…" Her eyebrows pinched together in her bafflement as she looked up to the arched roof for an answer. Finding none, she settled for the standard one. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"We can play like this all day, _sweetheart._ But I think we're both ready to call it a day." Janco managed a shrug despite still being pinned down. "What would Valek think of what you're doing right now?"

"So every time I do something Valek doesn't like I'm in trouble?"

Janco blustered. "You know what I mean!"

Instead of jabbing him back, her grip loosened and she released him. Exhaustion set into her fine features. "Tell him whatever the hell you want. I don't care."

He grabbed her arm. "No I'm not going to tell him whatever the hell I want. You're going to talk and convince me not to tell him if need be." He rolled his eyes. "Ari and I are the neutral third party, okay?"

Yelena tried to pry his hand off. "No."

Janco held firm. "Yelena." He tried another tactic. "Come on, it's just me."

His uncommonly sober expression made her consider. But then she only shook her head. "I'd rather you tell him Ari's theory."

"You can't be serious."

"It's not for you to know." Yelena said softly.

He suddenly froze and his grip slipped away. She looked at him with brief confusion as he backed away.

Valek's shadow darkened the space between them. "Defending my honor again, love?" There was no mockery in his voice, only resignation and that strange contrition again. "Pity the moment couldn't be more appropriate, for I could just kiss you."

Yelena turned her head. "You were always one for 'appropriate' moments." Janco couldn't tell if the razor sharp edge in her voice was pure cynicism or something else entirely.

He smiled sadly. "You used to be quite taken with that side of me."

Yelena walked away without answering.

Valek shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "You shouldn't have come, Janco."

"Why not? What is she even talking about?" Janco exhaled slowly. "What did you do?"

He shook his head and spoke more to himself now. "She won't talk to me now. Not with someone she loves this close by. She'll…" He clenched and unclenched his fists.

"I'm pretty sure you're exaggerating."

"I can't go back and change it." Valek gritted his teeth. "But I'd do it the exact same even if I could."

"Do what?"

"She killed Reyad for nothing. And I'm the reason why." He seemed to remember himself after uttering those words and turned to Janco, seething. "What you have done was beyond inappropriate. Return to your post immediately. That's an order."

Janco knew he should have gone as a servant too.


End file.
